Door operating device



Nov. 25, 1952 w, WEATHERS 2,619,346

DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Filed Oct. 17, 1949 nnentor WARREN F. WEATHERS DECEASED,

ALLAN F. SCHMALZRIEDT 8 ADMINISTRATOR (Itt megs Patented Nov. 25, i952 DOOR OPERATING DEVICE Warren F. Weathers, deceased, late of Detroit, Mich., by Allan F. Schmalzriedt, administrator,

Allen Park, Mich.

Application October 17, 1949, Serial No. 121,862

3 Claims.

This invention relates to door operating devices and, in particular, to overhead door operating devices.

One object of this invention is to provide an overhead door operating device which will have a minimum of working parts, is free from intermeshing gearing, and is so compact, particularly in its vertical dimensions, as to occupy a very small vertical space, thereby enabling it to be installed in garages and other buildings having low ceilings.

Another object is to provide an overhead door operating device wherein the principal parts of the mechanism consist of a shaft rotated by a motor anda carriage arranged to travel along the shaft and connected to the door, the carriage being provided with a pair of concave rollers arranged obliquely to the shaft and frictionally engaging the shaft so as to propel the carriage along the shaft when the shaft is rotated by the motor, thereby raising or lowering the door.

Another object is to provide an overhead door operating device of the foregoing character wherein the concave rollers are arranged substantially at right angles to one another while being positioned obliquely to the shaft on opposite sides thereof.

Another object is to provide an overhead door operating device of the foregoing character wherein the carriage is provided with a base made from a single angle member having aligned apertures for the passage of the shaft.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is an enlarged top plan view of the carriage of the door operating device, according to one form of the invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the carriage shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an inclined section taken along the line 33 in Figure 2; and

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the upper portion of a building with an overhead door, showing an installation of a door operating device according to this invention.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 4 shows a building, such as a garage, generally designated It, having a door opening H equipped with a vertically movable door l2 of the so-calledoverhead door type, the overhead door l2 being movable vertically and then horizontally upon an overhead rail structure !3 by a door operating device, generally designated hi, according to one form of the present invention. The door I2 is conventional and may be of several forms. The form shown includes a plurality of horizontally divided panels [5 and it hinged to one another by hinges ll which also include rollers I8 travelling in the channel guide rail IQ of the guide rail structure l3. Ordinarily, there are several panels to the door :2, only the upper portion of which is shown, and there are also ordinarily two channel guide rails 19, one on each side of the door. The guide rails l9 are of approximately L-shaped form with forward vertical portions and rearward horizontal portions separated from one another by a curved corner portion. In addition to the rollers E3 on the hinges l1, one or more panels of the door, such as the panel i5, is provided with brackets 20 carrying rollers 2 l, likewise travelling in the channels of the guide rails I9. The horizontal overhead portions of the guide rails iii are supported by vertical frame members 22 secured to the ceiling or roof structure 23 of the garage lil.

Secured to the front wall structure 2 of the garage i9 is a bracket or shaft hanger 25 having a bearing portion 26 in which the forward end of a rotary shaft 21 is journaled. The shaft 21 may be either solid or tubular, according to the particular installation. The rearward end of the shaft 21 is journaled in a journal bearing 28 mounted on a platform 29 which is suspended by chains 36 or other suspending members from the ceiling structure 23. Bolted to the underside of the platform 29 is a reversible electric motor 3| having an armature shaft 32 provided with a small pulley 33 which drives a large pulley 34 on the shaft 27 by means of a belt 35 at a reduced rate of speed. The motor 3| is energized from power lines 36 by way of a controller 31. The latter is of a conventional type, the details of which are outside the scope of the present invention The controller 31 is regulated by a switch 38 through. the control lines 38a and contains the necessary limit switches and relays supplying current to the motor 3! to operate it either in a forward or reverse direction, to thereby raise or lower the door E2. The switch 38 is placed in any convenient location, as beside the building door 12. The controller 3! preferably contains a limit switch or switches (not shown) operated by the shifting of a control rod 39 which carries adjustable stop collars i0 and ll for halting the motor Si by deenergizing it at the bottom and top of the path of travel of the door l2. The rod 39 is shifted to and fro for this purpose by the engagement of an arm 32 with the stops fill and 4!, the arm 32 being secured to the carriage and particularly to the base 44 thereof.

The carriage base 44 (Figures 1 and 2) consists 3 of an angle plate having oppositely bent portions 45 and 46 disposed at right angles to one another and having aligned apertures 41 and 48 respectively for the passage of the shaft 21. The apertures 41 and 48 are so arranged that the shaft 21 passes through the base 44 at angles of approximately 45 degrees to each of the base portions 45 and 45. Secured to each of the base portions 45 and 46 as by the fasteners 49 and 50 respectively, is a plate or 52. The plate 52 is provided with one or more ears 53 bored to receive a pivot pin or bolt 54 to which a connecting rod or link 55 is pivotally attached. The opposite end of the connecting rod 55 is pivotally attached to a pivot pin or bolt 56 mounted in a bracket 51 projecting upward from the upper panel I5 of the door I2 and bolted or otherwise suitably secured thereto (Figure 4).

The base portions 45 and 46 and plates 5| and 52 are bored as at 58 and 59 respectively (Figure 2) to receive the lower end of bent supporting studs 60 and BI, the lower ends of which are threaded to receive retaining nuts 62. The upper or outer ends of the studs 68 and BI are threaded to receive nuts 63 and washers 64, preferably spring Washers, by which angle brackets 65 and 63 may be secured respectively to the upper ends of the studs 60 and BI. The studs 60 and 6| and angle brackets 65 and 66 face in opposite directions toward the shaft 21 and carry pivot pins or axles 51 and 63 upon which concave crossed skew rollers 69 and are rotatably mounted. The lower ends of the axles 51 and 58 pass through bores 1| and 12 in the base plates 52 and 5| and are threaded to receive nuts 13 and 14 respectively. In this manner, the concave rollers 69 and 10 are firmly mounted on the base 44 with their concave surfaces and 16 frictionally engaging the opposite sides of the shaft 21. The nuts 53 and washers 64 enable the frictional grip of the rollers 15 and 16 on the shaft 21 to be accurately adjusted.

Operation In the operation of the invention, let it be assumed that the door I2 is in its lowered position shown in Figure 4 and that it is desired to open the door. The operator therefore shifts the switch 38 which in turn operates the controller 31 to energize the motor 3| in its reverse direction and cause reverse rotation of the shaft 21. This rotation of the shaft 21 is transmitted by friction to the crossed skew rollers 69 and 10, causing them to start travelling longitudinally along the shaft 21 toward the stop collar 4|. This in turn causes the entire carriage 43 to move rearwardly along the shaft 21, pulling the door I2 upward and rearward by its connection therewith to the connecting rod 55. The carriage 43 travels in this manner until the arm 4-2 encounters the stop collar 4|, at which time the door I2 is pulled completely upward into the horizontal portions of the guide tracks |9. Contact of the arm 42 with the stop collar 4| shifts the rod 39 to the left, actuating the limit switch within the controller 31 which de-energizes the motor 3|. This stops rotation of the shaft 21 and halts further travel of the carriage 43.

To lower the door, the operator again shifts the switch 38, whereupon the switches and relay within the controller 31 operate to oppositely energize the motor 3| so as to cause forward rotation of the motor shaft 32 and operating shaft 21. This motion is transmitted through friction to the crossed skew rollers 69 and 10 which thereupon rotate in directions opposite to their previous directions of rotation and thereby travel along the shaft 21 toward the door I2. When the door I2 arrives at its fully lowered position, the arm 42 arrives at the stop collar 40 and shifts the rod 39, actuating a limit switch in the controller 31 to again de-energize and halt the motor 3|. Th use of the controller 31 enables the switch 38 to alternately energize the motor 3| in forward and reverse directions to raise and lower the door I2 without the necessity for providing a reversing switch in place of the switch 38 and additional wiring between the switch 38 and the motor 3|.

What is claimed is:

1. An operating device for moving a closure into open and closed positions relatively to a building opening, said operating device comprising a supporting structure adapted to be secured to said building adjacent said opening, an elongated shaft rotatably mounted on said structure, shaft rotating mechanism drivingly connected to said shaft, a carriage having a base including an angle plate with portions thereof disposed at an angle to one another, said carriage being reciprocably mounted for travel longitudinally of said shaft, a pair of friction rollers rotatably mounted on said base on approximately diametrically opposite sides of said shaft, said rollers having their axes disposed obliquely to the axis of said shaft and having concave peripheries in frictional engagement therewith, and a motion-transmitting member operatively connecting said carriage to said closure.

2. An operating device for moving a closure into open and closed positions relatively to a building opening, said operating device comprising a supporting structure adapted to be secured to said building adjacent said opening, an elongated shaft rotatably mounted on said structure, shaft rotating mechanism drivingly connected to said shaft, a, carriage having a base including an angle plate with portions thereof disposed at an angle to one another, said angle plate portions having apertures therein for the passage of said shaft, said carriage being reciproca-bly mounted for travel longitudinally of said shaft, a pair of friction rollers rotatably mounted on said base on approximately diametrically opposite sides of said shaft, said rollers having their axes disposed obliquely to the axis of said shaft and having concave peripheries in frictional engagement therewith, and a motiontransmitting member operatively connecting said carriage to said closure.

3. An operating device for moving a closure into open and closed positions relatively to a building opening, said operating device comprising a supporting structure adapted to be secured to said building adjacent said opening, an elongated shaft rotatably mounted on said structure, shaft rotating mechanism drivingly connected to said shaft, a carriage having a base including an angle plate with portions thereof disposed at an angle to one another, said carriage being reciprocably mounted for travel longitudinally of said shaft, a pair of rollersupporting arms, one arm being mounted on each angle plate portion, a pair of friction rollers rotatably mounted on the outer ends of said pair of arms on approximately diametrically opposite sides of said shaft, said rollers having their axes disposed obliquely to the axis of 5 said shaft and having concave peripheries in frictional engagement therewith, and a, motiontransmitting member operatively connecting said carriage to said closure.

ALLAN F. SCHMLALZRIEDT.

Administrator of the Estate of Warren F.

Weathers, Deceased.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

Number 6 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Judson May 7, 1889 Clark et a1 Jan. 30, 1894 Rose July 4, 1933 Abramsen Oct. 16, 1934 Weathers June 18, 1940 Weathers Sept. 24, 1940 Pieri July 19, 1949 

